Four turn selves in after police issue warrants tied to Jan. 26 incident

Four of seven people for whom warrants
were issued on charges of furnishing alcohol to a minor turned themselves in
Wednesday and Thursday in connection with a University of North Texas student’s
injuries following a fall from a stairwell at the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity
house.

On Wednesday, university officials
announced a ban on alcohol consumption at Panhellenic events following the
serious injury suffered by Dustin Starks on Jan. 26.

The 20-year-old business major remains
listed in serious condition at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.

After an 11-day investigation, UNT
police raised concerns about the availability of alcohol to minors.

Warrants were issued for seven people
between ages 18 and 21. Of the seven, six are freshmen or sophomores at the
university, officials said.

All are being charged with furnishing
alcohol to a minor, a Class A misdemeanor.

Class A misdemeanors can be punished by
a fine of up to $4,000 and up to a year in jail, officials working the case
said. People convicted of furnishing alcohol to a minor can have their driver’s
licenses suspended for 180 days, according to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage
Commission.

“The police are most concerned with the
furnishing of alcohol to a minor,” UNT spokeswoman Kelley Reese said on why the
minors involved are not being charged with being a minor in possession.

According to the TABC, minor in
possession is a Class C misdemeanor punishable with a fine of up to $500,
alcohol awareness class, eight to 40 hours of community service and losing
one’s driver’s license for 30 to 180 days.

The incident occurred after several
students consumed alcohol at multiple locations both on and off campus at a
fraternity party, Reese said.

Police records state that the seven
allegedly involved knowingly bought alcohol for a party where they knew minors
would be attending and drinking. One affidavit reports that the party, where
several Sigma Nu fraternity brothers were invited, was promoted as a “non-dry”
party.

Reese said the new ban, which is
effective immediately, prohibits alcohol at Panhellenic events, whether they
are on campus or not. The events include parties, mixers, icebreakers, date
parties, formals or any event involving a fraternity or sorority.

“Providing alcohol to a minor and the
consumption of alcohol by a minor is against the law,” Reese said, and UNT does
not condone it.

“UNT instituted this ban to help our
organizations to understand the responsible and legal use of alcohol,” she
said.

If UNT finds out alcohol was present at
a Panhellenic event, it will investigate and act in accordance, Reese said. It will
be considered a violation of the student code of conduct.

UNT is working to put a task force into
place to raise awareness about the responsible use of alcohol and ensure that
the rules are carried out. The task force will include fraternity and sorority
members and advisors as well as faculty.

“[The ban] is in place until the task
force decides it can be lifted,” Reese said.

UNT has 1,400 students involved in 39
Panhellenic organizations. There are seven fraternity houses along Maple and Welch
streets. Sorority row is located on West Prairie Street.

Colby Garza, president of the
Interfraternity Council, said he doesn’t have a problem with the ban because
Panhellenic life isn’t about alcohol or drinking; it’s about leadership.

“Things have to happen when
circumstances get out of control,” Garza said.

Garza is a member of Pi Kappa Phi, which
isn’t among the seven fraternity houses on campus. He wasn’t there Jan. 26 when
the accident happened.

“I hate that it happened,” Garza said.
“I don’t want that to be the outlook on Greek life.”

UNT wants to prevent another
alcohol-related accident from happening, he said.

The UNT chapter of the Sigma Nu
fraternity, of which Starks is a member, was suspended in 2010 for hazing and
underage drinking. UNT and the national Sigma Nu program investigated the
allegations. The suspension was lifted in the fall of 2012.

“Each incident is dealt with
individually,” Reese said. “You take a holistic look at what is needed for the
institution. This ban is coming out of the concerns raised from this
investigation.”

UNT allows students living in on-campus
housing to keep and consume alcohol if they are 21 or older, in accordance with
the legal drinking age. Students cannot consume alcohol in the presence of a
minor, according to the policy.

Alcohol must be consumed in the
resident’s room with the door closed, and no open containers may be carried
through hallways, lounges, courtyards, community bathrooms, parking lots,
balconies, stairways or other public areas at the residence halls, the policy
states.

Students also are not allowed to have
excessive amounts of alcohol, such as kegs, and alcohol cannot be sold or
distributed in the residence halls.

While alcohol is an issue every
university faces, UNT decided to take aggressive steps to ensure the safety of
its students, Reese said.

“We don’t tolerate breaking the law,”
she said.

UNT offers students classes as part of
its approach to educate students about the responsible use of alcohol.

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